My Love Affair with the NBA Ė I Think we Need a Break (Itís not me, itís you)

My Love Affair with the NBA Ė I Think we Need a Break (Itís not me, itís you)

The following is a piece I wrote just for myself. My background was broadcasting, but I haven't written for a long time. I've just been watching the NBA playoffs and the Finals, in particular, have made me begin losing interest, again, which is a shame in such an exciting time with such great talent. I just thought I'd share.

Originally Posted by My Love Affair with the NBA – I Think we Need a Break (It’s not me, it’s you)

This year’s NBA Playoffs hasn’t been the best that I’ve seen, but it’s certainly gone down an interesting path and more importantly, it’s led to what could be (or perhaps now, could have been) one of the most exciting NBA Finals in recent history. I’m not a basketball historian in any sense of the word, so I’m sure my previous statement is very debatable. I’m talking in the sense of what I’ve seen and what I remember in my lifetime. I grew up in Illinois and got to experience two MJ-led Bulls’ 3-peats. I saw The Dream and the Rockets go back-to-back. I’ve seen the Lakers build a dynasty with Shaq and Kobe and then Kobe finally get those rings without him. I’ve seen the Spurs sticking around for a long time. I watched Detroit get back in there to win another title; Wade revive his Heat to claim a championship; Boston become rejuvenated to win its first title in more than 20 years; and of course Dirk finally getting his ring over the self-proclaimed Big 3 (and Jason Terry not having to get a tattoo lasered off).

As I listed all of the championships in my lifetime (from 90-91 and on, because I was 5 that season and don’t remember anything from before that), I have to admit, there are few that actually live on in my memory. I had to go to the NBA’s archives to pull up all the results to remind myself of probably half of them. Even last year’s Finals doesn’t completely stand out in my mind. With all of that said, though, this year you have arguably the two best players in the game, today, in James and Durant and two of the most explosive teams in basketball. Oklahoma City is the young team whose speed can probably only be *****ed by the Lob City Clippers; or at least the only team who seems to be as exciting on a nightly basis, even if they lose. The Heat aren’t an old team, though. Sure, James and Bosh are a bit older than Durant and Westbrook, but not by enough for it to matter. If anything, they’re just more dominant because of those few extra years. And then you’ve got Wade, Haslem, Battier and Miller between ages 30-33 (and old man Howard at 39), but you also have Chalmers and Cole who have had some impact. The bottom line here is that OKC is a young, exciting team and Miami’s core lineup plays young enough to do the same.

This year’s Finals could have played out two ways, for me, and been exciting: the matchup we got, or the alternate Boston and San Antonio – seeing two great teams, whose great players are nearing the end of HOF careers. All things considered, I think most people were hoping more for what we actually got. Game 1 was as exciting as I’d hoped for and with an OKC win, I was of course even happier (I’m not going to try and hide my bias that I’m pulling for them in this). Game 2 went down to the wire and was certainly exciting, too; although I had some gripes (I’ll get to that, soon). Game’s 3 and 4 had their moments of excitement, but to me, it felt like the outcome was pre-determined.

I’ve talked with some of my friends about the officiating. They all say the same thing: this is the only officiating we know. Okay, I’ll buy into that; but not without raising some questions. I know that officiating in the NBA has never been the most pure thing in the world, but I sure don’t remember it being as bad as this year’s playoffs and Finals. I know what you’re thinking; the no-foul call on Durant to end Game 2 is what I’m whining about and if it happened to James, I wouldn’t say a word. Well, I’d be lying if I said I wouldn’t be a little happier with that outcome, but at the end of the day, no, I wouldn’t be happy with that. An NBA Finals game was decided, by the lack of a foul called on the second best player in the game when a team was down by two points with only seconds left. I won’t say I’m a purist or begin to walk around like that, but I would hope anyone would be pissed off at that outcome. And for you Heat fans that don’t see the problem in this: if you want to look at it from a different perspective, let’s not forget that OKC had a block called a goaltending violation that gifted Miami two points that they didn’t earn. Unfortunately for OKC, it didn’t happen in the last 2 minutes, so it couldn’t be reviewed.

So before I work myself up into a fit, let me try to break this thing down. Since I just mentioned it, let’s talk about that final two-minute review rule. In digging around, it looks like instant replay started back on the 02-03 season and was updated to include the last 2 minutes (and not just last second shots). I think this is a great idea in theory, but is pretty ridiculous in practice. In the NFL, coaches are allowed to challenge at any point in the game (granted, it’s only on certain plays/calls and you’re only allowed a certain number) and then anything within 2 minutes is reviewed at the officials’ discretion. Where the NFL really worked to ensure they’re on point with the correct call is last year’s adjustment to review all scoring plays. I’m not arguing for the NBA to make their rules the same as the NFL; it would make the NBA move slower than the MLB. But what I want to illustrate is the fact that in the NFL, there’s always an opportunity to make sure the calls are correct. If officials have missed calls in the first 46 minutes, what does it matter if they get one right in the last two? How does that one correct call somehow become more important than the others? Again, in theory, it makes sense. But in application, you see teams that are playing under a completely different set of circumstances. Game 2: OKC is down 2 points with seconds left and Durant shoots, misses, and no foul is called. It’s an entirely different situation than OKC and Miami tied, Durant shooting as time expires. I guess what I’d like to see is a higher standard of officiating throughout the game and no reason to review plays in the last two minutes. All 48 minutes should be treated equally.

I don’t expect officials to get 100% of the calls correct. In fact, for the most part, they’ve done pretty well – except for fouls. The level of inconsistency is beyond belief. I view officials calling fouls like I view a home plate umpire calling balls and strikes. I might not like his strike zone, but if he’s calling it consistently (from start to finish and for each team), then I’m good with it. Again, we can touch on the final two minutes and how that’s somehow different than the other 46, but what I want to focus on more is just the overall inconsistency in what constitutes a foul. In my opinion, I’d rather see guys only rarely have fouls called on them and get to use a lot of contact (more on this, later), but if you’re going to call a foul when someone falls over a player for a loose ball (seriously – overand not onto), then you better call one when a shooter is hit in the air, regardless of how hard or soft it is. I see a lot of the same “fouls” being committed at one point and then not called at another. I’m used to that on occasion, but not this bad. Maybe I’m just paying more attention than I used to, but even last year’s playoffs and Finals felt way less decided by the officiating and much more by the playing. This year’s officiating dictates the tempo more than either team has seemed to. For the Miami fans that think I’m being one-sided on this, my best example to you is probably the foul that was called on James against Boston (Game 5, I believe), where he backed into Pietrus and they called the foul on James because Pietrus fell over. If anything, it should’ve been a foul on Pietrus, but really, it should have just been a “play on” situation.

The commentators and most of the analysts continually bring up the point that players today are so much stronger, bigger, faster, etc. than the players of the past. Who wouldn’t agree with that? If that’s the case, then, why wouldn’t we adjust the rules, accordingly? I don’t see why it would be so difficult to hold off on calling so many fouls. That way, the fans might get a chance to see Durant actually play defense in the final 12 minutes of a game (seriously, in Games 2 and 3, it was just pathetic watching him have to stand off to the side or guard Battier outside the arc). What I propose is getting rid of charges; or at least, move the restricted area out further. There are few things that irritate me as much as someone sliding into the path of the guy with the ball. Let’s face it, every charge call is what I just explained, even if some of them have been there long enough that it isn’t a call that could go either way. I’m by no means saying get rid of offensive fouls; those need to be kept and called when guys throw elbows or just truck over people. But in the lane, why would we want to keep charging fouls (at least from the perspective of fans)? Sure, it’s exciting to see a guy maneuver around a defender at the rim and athletically lay the ball in. But the reaction is exponentially more explosive when someone gets posterized. As long as an offensive player doesn’t lead with his feet (I’m looking at you, Dwayne Wade) or use his non ball-hand (or elbow) to initiate contact with the defender, why shouldn’t he be able to go in there? I guess it’s a fine line between what we have today and guys just trucking down the lane trying to plow over defenders, but there has to be some better way than what we have. Seriously, if I see Battier shuffle in for one more of those sneaky charges on Durant, I may just break something.

And then we move onto flopping. Van Gundy has been talking about this for I don’t know how long and now, apparently, Stern is up on it. With the technology that exists, I’d have to imagine there is a way we could put sensors in the uniforms of the players and if a certain amount of force is exerted, it registers on a computer at the scorer’s table and a foul is called from the sideline. This would keep guys from flopping, remove the judgment calls from the officials on the floor and also help out guys like James and Dwight Howard who probably get mugged more than most, but it doesn’t show because they’re bigger, stronger and have some scruples to them.

There are plenty more issues that could be brought up, but these are the ones I wanted to focus on (read as: these are the ones that pissed me off the most). Has OKC done a lot to screw up their chances of winning and made enough mistakes to lose on their own? Sure they have. But have the officials done anything that has helped them out and hurt the Heat? Not that I’ve seen; at least not on the same scale that it’s helped out Miami. Perhaps this is just my cynicism, but watching these NBA playoffs and Finals has felt more like watching the WWE than basketball (and not because of the acting, although that’s there, too; but because of the storyline that seems to be built and what almost feels like predictability). I wouldn’t be surprised if Stern was at the helm of this or if Vegas was playing a role (I seriously would bet more on Stern). It would be different if NBA refs hadn’t been caught in gambling scandal, before.

My friends say we’ve never know anything different in officiating in the NBA. I know I stopped watching when Jordan retired and regained interest when a young player by the name of LeBron James was so exciting in his recruitment from high school that I found interest in the NBA, again. With players so exciting, it’s a shame that the officiating overshadows what could have been in some of the outcomes. I’m giving the rest of this series a chance to restore my faith, but I’m not holding my breath. I feel like I already see how this thing is going to play out.

Psalm 34:10 - "The lions may grow weak and hungry, but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing."

NBA ratings have been increasing every year for several years. Lebron is great for ratings and the game regardless of who likes/hates him.

You'll be back together with the NBA by next All-Star game. Nobody can stay away too long.

The remarks about Kobe were referring to when everyone talked up until his first ring without Shaq. I realize it wasn't that long, but the analysts hung on that for a while (and IIRC, Shaq rapped about it or something like that, too).

My bad on the typo lol. I'm usually pretty anal about grammar and such, but in my defense, I wrote that entire thing during my lunch break at work, while I was still doing some work, simultaneously, in an attempt to get out of the office a bit early.

I didn't bother to pull stats on the ratings, but I'm not surprised that they've continually gone up. IIRC, they said this year's debut ranked ridiculously high. I agree that LeBron is great for the game and the ratings, too. In fact, his move to Miami played this all out like a WWE story line by making him the bad guy (think The Rock and going from fan favorite to The Corporation), and then this year he won and gets to be the NBA's posterboy, again.

I won't be watching again, next year, though, unless I hear something changing with the officiating. That's not to say I won't watch highlights, but I won't invest time in games. I rarely did outside of the playoffs these last few years, anyway.

And if for some reason it wasn't clear in what I'd written, I have nothing against LeBron and he has clearly proven he is the best player in the game (not that he needed to prove it; but this championship did solidify that).

Psalm 34:10 - "The lions may grow weak and hungry, but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing."

If Durant wants to pass Lebron as the best in the game he's going to have to really up the ante with his defensive play, rebounding, and passing. Durant is a better pure scorer no doubt about it. His jumper is much better, and his length is unstoppable on the drive. However, Lebron has a physically presence like nobody else. His power, explosiveness, and speed are what make him better. Nobody can guard him, nobody can stop him when driving, in transition, and most fear him even when he's attacking an open defender going down court for an easy 2.

Since Lebron has come in the league ('03-'04) he's average during the regular season 28 points, 7 rebounds, and 7 assists. Since Durants debut ('07-'08) he's averaged 26 points, 6.5 boards, and 3 assists. Even if you only take Lebron's first five years to give Durant the benefit of the doubt his averages are still 27 points, 7 rebounds, and 6.5 assists.

Durant has never had to play defense before the past couple years either. He's been bread as a pure scorer. He doesn't have the physical presence or athleticism to ever be a better OVERALL player than James.

I think both are HOF's, and I'd like to note that I wasn't rooting for the Heat or Lebron this year or last year. I'm not a hater, but I'm not a fan. I wanted the Thunder and Durant to win, but perhaps next year. My heart lies with the LA Clippers, who may never give me a championship, but may be the best NBA team in LA now since the Lakers have stated they won't be making any personnel changes this off season and they're just getting older, but that's another discussion.

Is it the officiating or the NBA itself. Let's talk about the New Orleans Hornets......

Probably a little of both, man. The officiating (on foul calls; not on anything else, for the most part) is just an abomination. An umpire couldn't get away with that many blown judgment calls. If you think NFL, you might see a bad flag or two thrown, but never as many bad calls.

It just felt like they were walking the tightrope on is this reality or is this staged. Again, not saying the Heat didn't deserve to win; they outplayed OKC. However, some of those calls were just awful. And honestly, in Game 5, a bunch were poor calls that went against the Heat (to give OKC a chance to either get back in it or take over), but then after that, it was all in favor of Miami. It's just sad, I suppose.

Psalm 34:10 - "The lions may grow weak and hungry, but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing."

If Durant wants to pass Lebron as the best in the game he's going to have to really up the ante with his defensive play, rebounding, and passing. Durant is a better pure scorer no doubt about it. His jumper is much better, and his length is unstoppable on the drive. However, Lebron has a physically presence like nobody else. His power, explosiveness, and speed are what make him better. Nobody can guard him, nobody can stop him when driving, in transition, and most fear him even when he's attacking an open defender going down court for an easy 2.

Since Lebron has come in the league ('03-'04) he's average during the regular season 28 points, 7 rebounds, and 7 assists. Since Durants debut ('07-'08) he's averaged 26 points, 6.5 boards, and 3 assists. Even if you only take Lebron's first five years to give Durant the benefit of the doubt his averages are still 27 points, 7 rebounds, and 6.5 assists.

Durant has never had to play defense before the past couple years either. He's been bread as a pure scorer. He doesn't have the physical presence or athleticism to ever be a better OVERALL player than James.

I think both are HOF's, and I'd like to note that I wasn't rooting for the Heat or Lebron this year or last year. I'm not a hater, but I'm not a fan. I wanted the Thunder and Durant to win, but perhaps next year. My heart lies with the LA Clippers, who may never give me a championship, but may be the best NBA team in LA now since the Lakers have stated they won't be making any personnel changes this off season and they're just getting older, but that's another discussion.

Very well stated. The only thing I'd point out is that Durant has played side-by-side with Westbrook from Day 1, which LeBron never had in Cleveland. Even when they started signing players to bring talent in, no one there was ever as talented. He didn't see that until he got to Miami. Now granted, he still puts up great numbers even with Wade, Bosh, Chalmers, etc. But Durant never had to be the only player to do it all. On any given night, Westbrook could step up and win a game, too.

Durant will have to change/improve a lot if he wants to be considered better than James as an all-around player. I see James going down as the best in the era, but Durant may possibly be the best scorer in the era. Unless Durant starts packing on the muscle, which I really wouldn't want to see him do, anyway, I don't see a difference coming.

Psalm 34:10 - "The lions may grow weak and hungry, but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing."

They just made the west more difficult to win for OKC, but I still think the Heat are better. Plus, it largely depends on if Bynum stays healthy (I assume he will, but that's still something that will loom over them).

If the Nets land Howard, I still don't see them winning out in the east.

Psalm 34:10 - "The lions may grow weak and hungry, but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing."

They just made the west more difficult to win for OKC, but I still think the Heat are better. Plus, it largely depends on if Bynum stays healthy (I assume he will, but that's still something that will loom over them).

If the Nets land Howard, I still don't see them winning out in the east.

Hard to argue when you now have a big four, plus Grant Hill coming off the bench. If they just get a decent 3 position (unless Metta comes out and has a record year) I don't see anybody doing much against them. Nash, Bryant, Bynum, Gasol is a hell of a team. When your weak spot is your 3 position, which just so happens to be filled by a constant league leader in defense, it is difficult to argue otherwise. Bynum's play, as of late, has been dictated by his attitude more so then his health. I'd be more concerned about that then anything.

If the Nets land Howard, I can see them as a constant contender coming out of the East along with Chi town and Miami. Maybe not winning it, but they'll be right there. D Williams is a very underrated point guard in the league, give him a big man like Howard and bad things can happen.

And now the heat up the ante by aquiring Ray Allen. Next NBA season is looking fun, despite the refereeing.

Bruce (D2footballjrc) and I were just talking about this, last night. We both think that means no more Mike Miller. I'm somewhat torn on that decision (assuming that's what'll happen). Ray Allen is awesome and I've always liked him, but last year, Miller seemed to put up better numbers offensively. But from a defensive standpoint, you'll get more out of Allen (and also more open looks because of the attention to James and Wade and James's passing).

Psalm 34:10 - "The lions may grow weak and hungry, but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing."

Hard to argue when you now have a big four, plus Grant Hill coming off the bench. If they just get a decent 3 position (unless Metta comes out and has a record year) I don't see anybody doing much against them. Nash, Bryant, Bynum, Gasol is a hell of a team. When your weak spot is your 3 position, which just so happens to be filled by a constant league leader in defense, it is difficult to argue otherwise. Bynum's play, as of late, has been dictated by his attitude more so then his health. I'd be more concerned about that then anything.

If the Nets land Howard, I can see them as a constant contender coming out of the East along with Chi town and Miami. Maybe not winning it, but they'll be right there. D Williams is a very underrated point guard in the league, give him a big man like Howard and bad things can happen.

I don't know. I just felt like the Lakers were strong in the past, but still lost (like getting ousted so early 2 years ago) and I don't see Nash making them that much better. This was an interesting article:

Personally, too many stats for me to care to read it, but the point it makes is interesting. I suppose to an extent it will be like the first year Wade and James played together. But Kobe has always created his own opportunity and it seems like if anyone didn't need a great PG, it was him. Either way, it'll be interesting and I don't think it makes them weaker (though trading away the 4 draft picks is kind of a desperate measure). I agree about Bynum's attitude; I kind of forgot about that. Artest is so hard to figure out, too. You feel like he's changing and then he jacks Harden in the head lol. That doesn't make him any less of a great defender, though.

I agree with your take on the East, too. Since James found that switch of how to win and take over games, I don't see anyone else beating them. And the best part for the Heat is that they'll be able to pick up cheap role players each year because when it comes to free agency, they'll want to play on the contending team. This year was Chicago's best chance and I don't see them having as good of a shot in a while, personally.

Psalm 34:10 - "The lions may grow weak and hungry, but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing."

I honestly don't think the Lakers will be substantially better. I think they'll be very close to the same winning percentage in 2012-13 as compared to this past year. The Lakers don't need a point guard running the show, they haven't had one of those since Magic. We certainly can't count Fisher or Van Exel back in the day. Adding Nash certainly improves their transition play, oh wait, it would if they had healthier, faster players that could actually run up and down the court. I suppose it makes the defense more vulnerable and opens up the court allowing Kobe or Gasol to drive through the lane for some great displays of passing by Nash leading to an easy 2. Wait, Kobe's not in his 20s anymore is he? Scratch that.

What I see that's positive: Nash will be the best point guard they've had in a long time. He's a great shooter and drives well, and that alone will allow more opportunities on the baseline and beyond the arc for Gasol and Kobe to knock down some easy 15+ foot jumpers.

Overal picture is the Lakers are the Lakers. They'll win a lot of games (about the same amount as the Clippers) and get into the playoffs as usual, but Kobe is getting older and only carry them so far. They're not a Championship team anymore. Clippers are coming up every year (I'm a Clippers fan, so I'm naturally biased but I'd like to think realistic too) and OKC is the youngest, freshest, hottest team in the league and will be for years to come as long as they stay together.

Bruce (D2footballjrc) and I were just talking about this, last night. We both think that means no more Mike Miller. I'm somewhat torn on that decision (assuming that's what'll happen). Ray Allen is awesome and I've always liked him, but last year, Miller seemed to put up better numbers offensively. But from a defensive standpoint, you'll get more out of Allen (and also more open looks because of the attention to James and Wade and James's passing).

Miller's health has been in question for some time now. Even if the ar***** of ray allen means the end of Miller, I think the team as a whole just got better. Equal offense and better defense is scary for this team.

Originally Posted by Xtweak05

I honestly don't think the Lakers will be substantially better. I think they'll be very close to the same winning percentage in 2012-13 as compared to this past year. The Lakers don't need a point guard running the show, they haven't had one of those since Magic. We certainly can't count Fisher or Van Exel back in the day. Adding Nash certainly improves their transition play, oh wait, it would if they had healthier, faster players that could actually run up and down the court. I suppose it makes the defense more vulnerable and opens up the court allowing Kobe or Gasol to drive through the lane for some great displays of passing by Nash leading to an easy 2. Wait, Kobe's not in his 20s anymore is he? Scratch that.

What I see that's positive: Nash will be the best point guard they've had in a long time. He's a great shooter and drives well, and that alone will allow more opportunities on the baseline and beyond the arc for Gasol and Kobe to knock down some easy 15+ foot jumpers.

Overal picture is the Lakers are the Lakers. They'll win a lot of games (about the same amount as the Clippers) and get into the playoffs as usual, but Kobe is getting older and only carry them so far. They're not a Championship team anymore. Clippers are coming up every year (I'm a Clippers fan, so I'm naturally biased but I'd like to think realistic too) and OKC is the youngest, freshest, hottest team in the league and will be for years to come as long as they stay together.

Keep in mind that the Lakers got a PG just as good as the one the Clippers got last year. The sign and trade for Chris Paul worked immensely well for them, so there is no reason to think it will not work just as well for the Lakers. Having a good PG that knows how to play the position, especially when paired with all-star bigs, is dangerous no matter how you look at it. Don't forget that Kobe just came off a season where he basically chose not to lead the league in scoring by sitting out the last game, he's still in it and he's not going anywhere. The measurement of the impact Nash will have on this team should be substantial compared to last year, especially when you consider how well the lakers performed last year without a true, talented PG.

And now the lakers have Dwight Howard..... what a difference a month makes.

What do you think about it? I have mixed feelings (as an objective person, thinking about what was the smartest deal for each team).

Part of me thinks, why on earth would you want to deal with Howard with the way he's done and also the risk of the back problems when you already had Bynum who finally seemed to get healthy and really put up numbers. On the other hand, it's Dwight Howard.

Initially, when they mentioned Gasol as part of the trade, I thought that it was stupid to give up him and Bynum for howard, but now that he hasn't been included, it looks like a better deal than what was being predicted.

It'll be interesting to see if either of them gets injured this season, though.

Psalm 34:10 - "The lions may grow weak and hungry, but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing."

As a lifetime laker fan I have mixed feelings,
I think both players can be drama queens, however at least Dwight leaves his drama off the floor, unlike Bynum, who is still immature, and doesn't always play with maximum effort.
On paper it looks like a huge win for the lakers,
Only Dwight's health and his willingness to resign with the lakers, remain as question marks.
It's going to be an exciting season.
Peace

As a lifetime laker fan I have mixed feelings,
I think both players can be drama queens, however at least Dwight leaves his drama off the floor, unlike Bynum, who is still immature, and doesn't always play with maximum effort.
On paper it looks like a huge win for the lakers,
Only Dwight's health and his willingness to resign with the lakers, remain as question marks.
It's going to be an exciting season.
Peace

Good point; I forgot about Bynum's attitude being more of a factor in-game. I think Dwight's resigning will go like this:

Kobe: You gonna resign, Dwight?Dwight: I dunno, man. I'm thinkin bout going to Brooklyn; hang out with Jay-Z.Kobe: Sign the papers, Dwight.Dwight: What?(Kobe placing a pen in Dwight's hand and putting it on the contract)Kobe: Sign. The paper. Dwight.Dwight: What?(Kobe squeezing Dwight's hand to the point of nearly breaking his fingers)Kobe: Sign. The paper.Dwight: Okay, okay!

Psalm 34:10 - "The lions may grow weak and hungry, but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing."

What do you think about it? I have mixed feelings (as an objective person, thinking about what was the smartest deal for each team).

Part of me thinks, why on earth would you want to deal with Howard with the way he's done and also the risk of the back problems when you already had Bynum who finally seemed to get healthy and really put up numbers. On the other hand, it's Dwight Howard.

Initially, when they mentioned Gasol as part of the trade, I thought that it was stupid to give up him and Bynum for howard, but now that he hasn't been included, it looks like a better deal than what was being predicted.

It'll be interesting to see if either of them gets injured this season, though.

I think Orlando got hosed in the deal. They didn't even get Bynum. Honestly, the big difference is like you said the maturity aspects. I think Howard makes a better fit for the show-time crowd, not sure if the team cohesion will be there or how quick it would take to develop. One things for sure, what they missed on defense by picking up Nash, they made up for by acquiring Howard.

Originally Posted by toddgranit

As a lifetime laker fan I have mixed feelings,
I think both players can be drama queens, however at least Dwight leaves his drama off the floor, unlike Bynum, who is still immature, and doesn't always play with maximum effort.

That can make all the difference.

Originally Posted by MidwestBeast

Good point; I forgot about Bynum's attitude being more of a factor in-game. I think Dwight's resigning will go like this:

Kobe: You gonna resign, Dwight?Dwight: I dunno, man. I'm thinkin bout going to Brooklyn; hang out with Jay-Z.Kobe: Sign the papers, Dwight.Dwight: What?(Kobe placing a pen in Dwight's hand and putting it on the contract)Kobe: Sign. The paper. Dwight.Dwight: What?(Kobe squeezing Dwight's hand to the point of nearly breaking his fingers)Kobe: Sign. The paper.Dwight: Okay, okay!

LOL, that sounds about right. Love him or hate him, one thing you can not say about Kobe Bryant is that he doesn't want to win. He is the closest player to Michael Jordan in that regard that I've seen in a long time.

I think Orlando got hosed in the deal. They didn't even get Bynum. Honestly, the big difference is like you said the maturity aspects. I think Howard makes a better fit for the show-time crowd, not sure if the team cohesion will be there or how quick it would take to develop. One things for sure, what they missed on defense by picking up Nash, they made up for by acquiring Howard.

That can make all the difference.

LOL, that sounds about right. Love him or hate him, one thing you can not say about Kobe Bryant is that he doesn't want to win. He is the closest player to Michael Jordan in that regard that I've seen in a long time.

And you're right, Kobe can be a dick, but he wants to win as much as MJ did. I think LeBron may get there, eventually, though. The playoffs showed a hint of it (and let's face it, he does like yelling at Chalmers lol).

Psalm 34:10 - "The lions may grow weak and hungry, but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing."

And you're right, Kobe can be a dick, but he wants to win as much as MJ did. I think LeBron may get there, eventually, though. The playoffs showed a hint of it (and let's face it, he does like yelling at Chalmers lol).

Yeah, I don't understand it at all. They picked up Harrington and few first rounders. Looks like they are looking to rebuild the old fashion way.

On a side note, the USA team plays for gold tomorrow morning at 10 on NBC I believe. Going up against Spain. Anyone going to watch?

Yeah, being a lifetime Magic fan has been a test since Shaq left and now Howard. I lost all respect for Howard, as he didn't even show up for his youth BB camp recently to stay in LA. Let down a lot of kids. I hope this works out for the Magic in the end with the three #1's and two #2's they got. We just got a brand new arena and have a solid fan base.

Yeah, being a lifetime Magic fan has been a test since Shaq left and now Howard. I lost all respect for Howard, as he didn't even show up for his youth BB camp recently to stay in LA. Let down a lot of kids. I hope this works out for the Magic in the end with the three #1's and two #2's they got. We just got a brand new arena and have a solid fan base.

On a better note, Football season is here. Go Bucs!

Something is bound to happen to them sooner rather then later. They almost had it back in 94 when Shaq and Anfernee (sp) Hardaway took you too the finals. That was a fun team to watch and the most underrated big/small combo in the league IMO

Yeah, I don't understand it at all. They picked up Harrington and few first rounders. Looks like they are looking to rebuild the old fashion way.

On a side note, the USA team plays for gold tomorrow morning at 10 on NBC I believe. Going up against Spain. Anyone going to watch?

I'm hitting the early service at church so I can get back in time to have only missed the first few minutes or so.

I wanted to watch some of the other games, but I only have really basic cable (the networks, TBS, WGN and that's pretty much it), so I was pissed that I couldn't even stream the games because of that NBC Sports channel that I'd never heard of until looking up the game schedule for this. Back in '08, NBC would play the games and I watched all of them, then.

Originally Posted by prld2gr8ns

Something is bound to happen to them sooner rather then later. They almost had it back in 94 when Shaq and Anfernee (sp) Hardaway took you too the finals. That was a fun team to watch and the most underrated big/small combo in the league IMO

Ah, man! I miss Penny! I had the blue pin-striped Penny jersey, back in the day. Remember the lil Penny commercials?

They had some good shots in the last handful of years, too, but just couldn't get over that hump. That would've been the time to do it, too, because the east is gonna be on lockdown for a while, now with the Heat. In those years, the Magic and Celtics were really the two teams and then Cleveland in there, too. There wasn't a clear powerhouse between the 3 like there is now with Miami.

Psalm 34:10 - "The lions may grow weak and hungry, but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing."

They had some good shots in the last handful of years, too, but just couldn't get over that hump. That would've been the time to do it, too, because the east is gonna be on lockdown for a while, now with the Heat. In those years, the Magic and Celtics were really the two teams and then Cleveland in there, too. There wasn't a clear powerhouse between the 3 like there is now with Miami.

The game has started . I remember those commercial. Funny to think that back then the biggest thing Chris Rock was known for was voicing lil' Penny lol.

Alot of of huuuuge post. Just wanna say I love the Nba too. Kobe is my boy I follow him 4 life. Steve Nash and Dwight better be ready for their fist rings bwahahahahahaha much love for Chicago,OKC,Boston carmello, cp3. No love for the HEAT and I live in FL lol